French houses worldwide
Champagne houses in the New World: Chandon, Roederer, Taittinger & Co.
For decades, major Champagne houses have also made sparkling wine outside France. Moët & Chandon founded Domaine Chandon in Napa Valley in 1973, Louis Roederer founded Roederer Estate in California in 1982, and Taittinger founded Domaine Carneros in 1987. These wines may not be called Champagne, even when made using the same method.
Why did Champagne houses go to America?
Champagne is a limited region. Its area is legally defined, and new vineyards can hardly be established there. Those wanting to grow had to find grapes elsewhere. At the same time, demand for sparkling wine was rising in the US, in South America, and later in Asia. Having an operation on site saved long transport routes and introduced the house's name to a new market.
Climate was also a factor. Sparkling wine needs grapes with high acidity and not too much sugar, meaning grapes that ripen early in relatively cool conditions. In California, such conditions were found in areas influenced by the cool Pacific; in Argentina, in high-altitude vineyards. The houses brought their expertise in blending, bottle fermentation, and lees aging with them, often together with winemakers from Champagne.
Chandon: from Mendoza to Napa Valley
Moët & Chandon made the first move, in Argentina. Around 1960, the first Chandon operation outside France was established in Mendoza, though the exact founding year is reported differently in various sources. In 1973, Domaine Chandon followed in Yountville, Napa Valley—the first French sparkling wine operation there. Later, further Chandon operations were added in other countries, so that today the name stands for an entire family of sparkling wines.
The wines are simply called Chandon and carry no reference to Champagne. This is both intentional and required, since the name Champagne is protected in the EU and in many other countries. Behind the brand stands the LVMH group, which also owns Moët & Chandon. In this way, a single group sells Champagne from Épernay and sparkling wine from California under related names, and only the label reveals which origin is meant.
Roederer, Mumm, Taittinger: the wave in California
After Chandon, other houses moved to California. According to secondary sources, Mumm launched in 1979 the project that became Mumm Napa. Louis Roederer founded Roederer Estate in 1982 in the Anderson Valley, in Mendocino County, one of the cooler regions of the state. Taittinger followed in 1987 with Domaine Carneros in the Carneros region south of Napa and Sonoma, where fog and wind from San Francisco Bay cool the grapes.
These operations mostly work with the classic Champagne varieties Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and with traditional bottle fermentation. Their style is often fruitier and riper than in Champagne, because the grapes get more sunshine. This isn't a flaw, but a different origin. The method and grape varieties can be the same, but the soil, climate, and appellation laws are not. This is precisely what sets a Californian sparkling wine apart from a Champagne, even when the same house is behind it.
Taittinger in Kent: Champagne houses in England
More recently, Champagne houses have also been drawn northward. With a warmer climate, grapes suited to sparkling wine are now ripening in southern England, often on chalk soils similar to those of Champagne. Taittinger has established the Domaine Evremond winery in Kent, whose first bottles came to market in April 2025. English sparkling wine even has its own protected designation, Sussex, since 2022.
There are also sparkling wine pioneers with no French parent company. In South Africa, Simonsig's Kaapse Vonkel from 1971 is considered the country's first bottle-fermented sparkling wine. Still, the Champagne houses have accelerated this development, bringing capital, technology, and international distribution networks with them. For buyers, the rule remains simple: a well-known Champagne name on a sparkling wine from California or England stands for Champagne expertise, but not for Champagne itself.